Dale L. Latulippe

Dale L. Latulippe was a rock 'n' roll drummer, described by a friend as being such a "showman" he once broke his ankle doing a flip over his drums — and then got up and kept on playing.

"His ability to entertain a crowd was unbelievable," said the friend and former bandmate, Peter Skaltsis, who had played with Latulippe all over the South Shore. "He tried to make everybody around him happy all the time."

His wife, Maria Latulippe, said her husband, who was 46, had been in several bands and went to see many live shows. The couple lived in Carver with their 7-year-old son, Dustin.

"He had so many friends, he was funny, he was witty, he had a great personality, he always was laughing, he was always busy."

Latulippe, who was originally from Rockland, also owned a car dealership, Cranberry Auto Sales inWareham, but his passion was music.

Skaltsis said Latulippe had played in opening bands for several famous acts, including James Brown. "Dale was a phenomenal drummer," he said. "He was very admired, he was extremely, extremely talented."